Dog. He hated that word. It was something he was called frequently by those he met on his travels with the Astral Express. When he first became one of the Nameless, Stelle and Caelus had jokingly called him a dog, which he had no idea what that was. A large chimera, perhaps? He wasn’t necessarily wrong in his assumption. But then, March 7th started calling him a dog, too. Jokingly, of course. It sort of became the usual for the Nameless.

The only ones who didn’t refer to Phainon as a dog were Miss Himeko, Mr. Yang, Sunday, and Dan Heng. The former two being mature adults and the latter two finding no sense in doing so. One could also argue that the latter two were mature adults.

But Stelle, Caelus, and March 7th? They called him a dog. The white-haired man became used to it, even if he didn’t like it. Then strangers began calling him that, pointing out his dog-like loyalty to his companions and friends, as well as his friendly nature. While he didn’t mind at first, it became increasingly annoying after he saved a woman from a burning building during one of their Trailblaze expeditions. The woman had promptly joined the Astral Express, mentioning offhandedly that her mother had been a Nameless years ago.

The others began to notice something—something unusual. Specifically about Phainon. He seemed to stick close to the woman he had saved, not offering an explanation as to why. It wasn’t clear as to what his intentions were, nor could any of them decipher what he was thinking. The woman didn’t seem to mind, instead giving Phainon plenty of praise.

Just like a dog, the male thought bitterly as he lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling of his room. He really was a dog, wasn’t he? Friendly, loyal, willing to fight for those he cared about…Aeons above. A knock from the door to his room had him releasing a small sigh before sitting up and moving to open the door.

The sight of the woman he had silently sworn to protect made his sour mood lighten slightly. She had a worried expression on her face and stepped into the room as he stepped back. With the door shutting behind her, she turned to meet his gaze, pursing her lips before she spoke.